Italy - Old-age benefits

​In this article, we are talking about the old-age benefits provided by the Italian government.

What are and in what situation you can claim?

---

​

What are these Benefits?
The recent reform in this area has extended the contribution calculation method to all workers, providing adjustment of the pension age for access to the old age pension based on increased life expectancy and increased flexibility in accessing retirement with the early old-age pension.
The old-age benefits are:
 

• old-age pension (pensione di vecchiaia), or, if specific requirements are met, to
• early old pension (pensione anticipata), or to the
• minimum pension (Integrazione al trattamento minimo)
• Early retirement allowance (A.PE Sociale – Anticipo pensionistico)

 In what situation can you claim?
 If you are an insured worker (employed or independent), you are protected from the risk of loss of ability to work due to old age.
 You are entitled to old-age benefits if:
 

• you have accrued at least 20 years of contributions;
• you have met the new minimum age requirements (adjusted over time based on life expectancy), which is 67 years for both men and women (applying till 2026);
• you have stopped working.
• If your first work insurance dates as of January 1996, in the absence of the required 20 years of contributions, you are entitled to the old-age pension with a minimum of 5 years of contributions and 71 years of age, but deemed contributions will not be taken into account.

 
You may be entitled to the new welfare-based Early retirement allowance to bridge to the old-age pension if:
 

• you are 63 or over;
• you have accrued at least 30 years of effective work insurance (minus 1 year per child, up to 2 years at most, of deemed contributions if you are a female worker);
• you have accrued 36 years of contributions while performing an arduous job;
• having ceased a gainful activity.

 
What conditions do you need to meet?
For the statutory old-age pension, from 1 January 2019, in addition to at least 20 years of contributions, the pension age you must have reached is 67 years (applying till 2026) for all workers.
For the statutory early old-age pension, however, for 2021, you must have accrued:
 

• a minimum of 42 years and 10 months of contributions if you are a man;
• a minimum of 41 years and 10 months of contributions if you are a woman.

 
The first pension payment will be received 3 months after acquiring entitlement.
 
 
For the Early retirement allowance, you must also meet one of the following qualifying conditions:
 

• not being already in receipt of a pension of your own;
• being long-term unemployed with a scarce chance of finding a new job, after 3 months from the expiry of the unemployment benefits;
• having completed at least 18 months of influential work contributions in the 36 months before unemployment;
• having been assessed as disabled by a degree equal to or higher than 74%;
• having been assisting caregivers for at least 6 months to the disabled cohabiting spouse, partner or first-degree family member.

 
What are you entitled to, and how can you claim?
Suppose on 31 December 1995, and you had accrued at least 18 years of contributions. In that case, your pension will be calculated using the pay-based method for the contribution period up to December 2011 and the contribution-based form from 1 January 2012.
 
If, on 31 December 1995, you had accrued less than 18 years of contributions, your pension will be calculated using the hybrid system (also called 'pro-rata'): pay-based for the period up to December 1995 and contribution-based after that.
 
Finally, if you started paying contributions after 1 January 1996, your pension will be calculated using the contribution-based calculation system.
 
The pay-based calculation system is based on the average weekly pay received during the last years of work and the total amount of paid contributions multiplied by a transformation rate, based on the ISTAT index of the cost of living.
 
On the other hand, the contribution-based calculation system looks at contributions paid, obtaining the total amount of contributions paid into the pension scheme, which is then transformed into a pension by applying the transformation coefficient (which varies according to age).
 
Jargon busters:
 
INPS: National Social Security Institute;
Employee organisations and tax assistance centres (Patronati, CAF): authorised centres that assist the user with compiling and electronically submitting benefits claims (this assistance is free-of-charge);
ISTAT: Institute for National Statistics;
Contribution amount: the individual contribution amount is the sum of all contributions set aside every year throughout the working life
Early retirement allowance: bridging to the old-age pension.
Forms you may need to fill in.
Your pension claim is submitted online to the relevant social security institution, from whose website you can download the forms to be filled in. Electronic submission requires a second level SPID (Public Digital Identity System) or a CIE (Electronic Identity Card), or a CNS (National Service Card) login. It is possible to request free assistance from Patronati organisations.
More details about it INPS website http://www.inps.it
If you need translate your documents I can help you see my websitewww.italiancitizenshiptranslator.com/italian-translation-services.html